Japan’s criminal justice system is commonly dubbed a system of “hostage justice”, and with good reason. Those arrested are often detained for long periods without bail, completely isolated from family and society, and forced into false or coerced confessions as the only means to escape detention. Underneath Japan’s incredibly high conviction rate of over 99% are tragic stories of the innocent or misunderstood: suddenly detained, psychologically tortured, and robbed of their lifestyle and dignity.
On February 22nd, two such victims of “hostage justice” shared their harrowing stories at the Asia Society Japan Policy Salon in Tokyo. They were Junji Shimada, former director of Ohkawara Kakohki, and former English teacher Marcus Cavazos. Mr. Shimada and Mr. Cavazos were joined by Dr. Kana Sasakura (Professor of Law at Konan University) and Kanae Doi (Japan Director, Human Rights Watch), two leading experts on Japanese “hostage justice” who provided a comprehensive overview of the criminal justice system and its problematic areas. The panel discussion was moderated by Jesper Koll, chair of policy committee at Asia Society Japan.
Asia Society Japan has released the full video of the February 22nd event, titled “Guilty Until Proven Innocent”, on their website and YouTube channel. The transcripts of the remarks delivered by Dr. Sasakura and Mr. Shimada can also be found below.
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Dr. Sasakura opened the discussion by providing a summary of the “hostage justice” system’s major tenets, as well as its implications for business in Japan and the country’s international standing. The transcript of her speech (English only) can be found below.
The hostage justice contributes to wrongful convictions in Japan. Looking at past cases, it is clear that the major cause of wrongful convictions in Japan is false confessions. Why are there false confessions? Because the focus of investigation in Japan is to get suspects’ confessions. The Hostage Justice is used to get a confession.
The Japanese system allows up to 23 days of pre-indictment detention for each independent charge without the possibility of bail. The suspects are detained in police cells, notably called Daiyou- Kangoku in the international human rights community. During this whole time, it is interpreted by the police and the prosecutors that detained suspects have a duty to be interrogated, meaning they cannot refuse or leave the interrogation room. Even if they remain silent, questioning does not stop.
These interrogations happen without an attorney present and until recently there was no duty to audio or video recording of these interrogations. Recently in most serious cases recording became mandatory but these consist only 2-3 % of all criminal cases.
During these interrogations, statement “dossiers” are produced. Dossiers are not verbatim transcripts. They are written down by interrogators and signed by the accused. They can be used as evidence at trial as one of the broad exceptions to the hearsay rule.
During detention, a judge can impose a ban on communication between detained suspects/defendants and families, friends, etc. It is devastating enough to be arrested and detained, but you can only talk to your attorney if this ban is imposed.
There is no bail during these 23 days of detention, and when the suspect is arrested on another “different” charge, the 23 days will be repeated.
After the suspect is indicted 23 days later, they can apply for bail. However, if the judge thinks that there is a risk of flight or destruction of evidence, the bail may be denied. The risks are interpreted very broadly: for example, if you are from a country outside of Japan, you will have a risk of flight. If you deny the charges or remain silent, you will have the risk of destructing evidence.
All these pressures are designed to bring the accused to their knees and obey what the police or the prosecutors tell you to do. It is as if you are being a hostage and only freed when you confess. You are giving up your liberty for not confessing. Innocent people will be detained longer because they will deny the charge.
This situation is called Hostage Justice. No wonder most of the defendants confess, and thus false confessions became the major cause of wrongful convictions. Using these confessions, the Japanese conviction rate is a staggering 99.8 %.
Looking at this list of cases which were exonerated in Japan through retrial, when we look at how many of these cases were with false confessions…. It is 21 cases out of 25. The evidence is clear.
If you compare the situation in a typical felony case in the United States, the distinction becomes quite clear. Of course, the American criminal justice itself has many problems, but at least I do not think the American system is designed to elicit confessions. When you are arrested, you are given Miranda warnings. You will be taken to a judge within 48 hours and then you are eligible for bail. Interrogations don’t last for days like Japan, and if you decide to remain silent the interrogation must stop immediately. When an interrogation is conducted, our attorney can be with you.
One case of false confession in Japan, which is well known internationally, is the case of Iwao Hakamata, a 1966 murder case and whose retrial is now in progress. This was a case of death penalty and Hakamata had been detained for 48 years, 34 of which on death row. Hakamata made a false confession because of brutal and lengthy interrogations. This case illustrates the serious consequences that the hostage justice brings.
This case was from 1966 but in more recent cases, the situation has not changed much.
There are many examples. Mr. Shimada and Mr. Cavazos’s cases are two of these examples.
Another recent case is the case of Mr. Yamagishi. Mr Yamagishi is the former president of Osaka-based real estate company Pressance Corporation. Yamagishi was arrested in December 2019 on suspicion of embezzling 2.1 billion yen ($17 million) from a school operator called Meijo Gakuin in Osaka Prefecture. Investigators said Yamagishi colluded with the former chair of Meijo Gakuin to steal deposit money gained from the sale of a land plot.
He denied the charges and was detained for 248 days. He had to resign so as not to damage his company. However, the Osaka District Court acquitted Yamagishi in October 2021.
We all remember the Ghosn and Kelly’s cases. Ghosn was detained for 108 days, Kelly 37 days in solitary confinement and was subject to intense interrogation. Ghosn’s attorney revealed that the interrogation continued every day for an average of 7 hours per day.
Recently, a British Court criticized the Japanese practice in the Chappell case. This case involves three British men who were detained after they flew back to Britain over their alleged involvement in a 2015 robbery of Harry Winston in Ginza, Tokyo. Whether the three will be transferred to Japan is being discussed in Britain as we speak, because Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. In this case, the men’s defense attorneys has been arguing that a handover could raise human rights concerns, namely “hostage justice”.
The Magistrate’s court ruled that it has concerns about the Japanese system which have been criticized by reports from UN an NGO bodies and rejected the extradition.
Have there been reform efforts? Yes. We have had two major criminal justice reform in the last 20 years, but both have failed to resolve this issue. The Ministry of justice has a webpage Frequently Asked Questions on the Japanese Criminal Justice System which was written after the international outrage against hostage justice in 2020 when the world learned about the Nissan cases. It states as follows: “the Japanese criminal justice system does not force confessions by unduly holding suspects and defendants in custody. It is therefore not accurate at all to criticize the Japanese system of being a “hostage justice” system. In Japan, there are strict requirements and procedures stipulated in law with regard to holding suspects and defendants in custody, with due consideration given to the guarantee of human rights”.
The cases I have talked about as well as Mr. Shimada and Mr. Cavazos’s cases illustrate the long-standing “hostage justice” system, in existence has adverse implications for Japanese business and tarnishes the country’s international reputation. This system may act as a deterrent for foreign business executives considering relocation to Japan, especially as many non-Japanese citizens become victims of this system.
Everyone knows that you are innocent until proven guilty. You should be treated as an innocent person. The norm is internationally established. You have a right to remain silent. This is also internationally recognized human right. Is the practice in Japan consistent with these rules?
Thank you for this opportunity to speak today, and with that, I conclude my speech.
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Mr. Shimada delivered a speech detailing the malicious actions of prosecutors and interrogators, the pain he endured from forced family separation, and the dehumanizing conditions of detention. His remarks (Japanese follows English) are below.
Hello everyone, my name is Junji Shimada. Four years ago, in March 2020, I was suddenly arrested. At the time, I was a director of Ohkawara Kakohki Company, a Yokohama-based machinery maker.
The president of the company, an advisor, and myself were arrested on suspicion of illegally exporting machinery to China. The police had deemed that our spray dryer, a machine used to turn milk into powdered milk among other things, as a “machinery that could be used to produce biological weapons.”
The three of us accepted questionings by the police for a total of 98 times before our arrests, over a span of about a year and a half. We answered every question honestly and signed many written statements. Time and again, we would explain that the spray dryer could not be used to produce biological weapons.
However, the police arrested us in order to force a confession, locking us in detention and isolating us from our families, colleagues, and society. The police even excluded our actual testimonies from their written records and instead fabricated statements. As I lost faith in the validity of the police investigation, I decided that I would remain silent throughout interrogations after the arrest.
Interrogations were conducted nearly daily in a closed room and continued for 21 days. There was no audio or video recording of our interrogations. Our lawyers were of course not permitted to be present during interrogations, and we were even prohibited from taking notes.
The police would ask us repeatedly, “You don’t have anything to say? If you’re remaining silent, does that mean you have no remorse?” Every day entailed more interrogation and pressure to confess, and I began to realize how unbearably torturous it is to remain silent.
Our detention center was a room at the police station, where we were treated like criminals. Meals were served cold, in plastic containers that they would leave on the floor. We could only use a toilet that was in the corner of our room without privacy. Eventually, I became ill and suffered diarrhea for days.
When we traveled outside of our cells, we were handcuffed and restrained at the waist by a leash called “koshinawa.” “Don’t make eye contact with anyone, keep your head down!” They would berate us. Frankly, we were treated like slaves.
Of course, like everyone else, we could not email or call anyone. On top of that, the court had issued a “contact prohibition order,” meaning we could not meet or even exchange letters with anyone, including our families. The only outsider we could meet with during our detention was our lawyer. I could hardly handle the anxiety that overcame me as I wondered how my family was handling the situation.
This new lifestyle had deprived me of physical and emotional strength; there were many days that I considered confessing, only so that I could leave the detention center more quickly.
In Japan, it is only after a formal indictment that one can apply for bail. Hence, I asked my lawyer to request bail immediately after my indictment, which was 21 days after my arrest. However, the court denied the bail application on the grounds that I “might destroy evidence.” I realized that in Japan, bail was virtually out of our reach without a confession.
Again and again, we would request bail, only to be slapped with more denials. Finally, after six applications and a total of 332 days in detention, we were released on bail.
In July 2021, six months after our release, there was a dramatic turn of events. On that day, a mere four days before our first trial, the prosecutors withdrew their indictment against us. They said that it was “difficult to establish that (the exports of our spray dryer machines) violated the regulations.” In other words, there was no crime.
Given all of this, we sued for damages, taking the Japanese and Tokyo governments to court. In its decision last year on December 27th, the Tokyo District Court declared the arrests, interrogations, and indictments illegal, awarding us damages of 160 million yen. During cross-examination, a current investigator in the Metropolitan Police Public Security Bureau, the police division that arrested us, admitted that the case was a “fabrication.”
We were only able to remain resilient throughout the 11 months of brutal detention in the knowledge of our absolute innocence, as well as our unwavering commitment to prove our innocence in court.
Japan’s conviction rate, however, remains extremely high at over 99%. Even for those like us who are innocent, far too many are likely to be forced into confessions as that is often the only way to free the harsh detention.
Furthermore, we had to prepare for trial under the cruel detention and isolation from families, friends, co-workers, and society. We had cooperated closely with the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, exchanging documents and communications that detailed what kinds of machinery applied to their specific regulations. All of those files had been confiscated by the police, and it was further complicating to try to locate them for our defense as we were isolated in detention. I must emphasize that to end false convictions, it is essential that those who claim innocence can defend themselves on an even playing field with the powerful authority.
In closing, I would like to highlight the irreversible tragedy that this “hostage justice” can breed. Mr. Shizuo Aishima, the advisor who was arrested with me, was likewise cruelly detained under totally fabricated charges. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer during his detention but was neglected of adequate medical care, and unfortunately passed away in February 2021. He applied for bail eight times, but never granted one, until his death. “Once we’re proven innocent, let’s go have a drink” – the conversation before our arrests became my last words to him, and that sadly never came true.
Our Ohkawara Kakohki case has been reported extensively in Japanese media. However, this case has not spurred any independent inquiry or reform by the Japanese government. That would only allow false accusations and “hostage justice” to endure for future generations.
I call for an end to the “hostage justice” system, which justifies long-term detention, family separation, and psychological torture to force confessions. I also call for a reform so that, at the very least, police and prosecutors respect the right to remain silent, lawyers are permitted to join their clients during interrogations, which should be recorded on audio and video.
I thank you all sincerely for your time, and ask for your support in ending injustice in Japan’s legal system.
(Japanese version below)
みなさま、こんにちは。私の名前は島田順司と申します。2020年3月11日、私は突然逮捕されました。当時、私は横浜にある機械メーカーである大川原化工機株式会社の取締役でした。
容疑は、大川原化工機が輸出した牛乳を粉ミルクなどにする噴霧乾燥機（スプレードライヤ）が「生物兵器に転用可能な機械」とみなされ、中国に不正に輸出した、というものでした。警視庁公安部は、社長と顧問も同じ容疑で逮捕しました。
私たち3人は、逮捕の1年半ほど前から延べ98回にわたり警察に通って任意聴取に、聞かれたことにすべて正直に答え、何通もの供述調書にサインをしていました。そして、噴霧乾燥機は生物兵器には転用できないこと、各納入先からも機器を兵器転用しない旨の誓約をいただいていることなどと何度も説明していました。
しかし、警察は私に罪を自白させるために逮捕し、私を留置所に閉じ込め、家族や社員、社会から分断しました。警察は私が正直に話した内容を調書に記載せず、話してもいない言葉を記載するので、私は警察を信用することはできなくなり、逮捕後取り調べに対してすべて黙秘をすることを決めました。
黙秘する私に対し、警察は、「弁護士に言われたから黙秘しているのだろう。」「弁護士の言うことを聞いて失敗した人を多く知っている。」と言って、不安を煽りました。
取り調べは、3月31日に起訴されるまでの21日間、ほぼ毎日密室で続きました。取り調べの間、録音録画もなく、弁護士の立会いも許されなかったのはもちろん、メモを取ることさえ許されませんでした。
警察は「話したいことはないのか？黙秘しているということは反省しないということか？」などと何度も問いかけてきました。しかし、私は日本の警察には失望した。なぜ警察は私を逮捕、勾留し、自白を求めるのかと、心の中で話し黙秘を続けました。私は、弁護士もいなくたったひとりで連日取り調べされ自白を迫られ続けている間、黙秘を続けることがこんなに辛いことなのかと初めて分かりました。
私たちが勾留されたのは警察署の一室である留置所でした。そこではまるで罪を犯した者であるかのように扱われました。食事の時は、冷えたご飯の入ったプラスチック容器が、床に置かれました。部屋の片隅に置かれた便器で、用を足さなければなりませんでした。私は体調を崩し、下痢が何日も続きました。
移動する際には、手錠と腰縄で繋がれ、目を合わせるな、下を向けと、大声でどなられ、奴隷のように扱われました。
もちろん、メールも電話もできません。しかも、私たちには裁判所から接見禁止命令も出されていましたので、家族との面会や手紙さえ禁止されました。勾留期間中、会えたのは弁護士さんだけでした。私は家族がどのような状態にあるのか心配でなりませんでした。
このような毎日で体力、精神力を削られ、早く出るために、罪を認めてしまうのが得策だと悩む日もありました。
日本では起訴後にやっと保釈請求が可能になります。そこで、起訴されるとすぐに、弁護士さんに保釈請求していただきました。しかし、裁判所はこれを却下。理由は、証拠隠滅のおそれ、というものでした。罪を自白していない私たちには、保釈のハードルは限りなく高いものだったのです。
証拠隠滅のおそれといっても、警察は大川原化工機を強制捜索押収してあらゆる資料を押収していた上に、1年半にわたる任意取り調べでたくさんの調書を作っていました。いまさら隠滅する証拠などないのです。それでも裁判所は、保釈すると社員と口裏合わせをするおそれがあるといいます。結局、私たちの保釈請求は5回も却下され、2021年の正月も家族と過ごすことが出来ず、独房で一人正月を迎えることになりました。
結局、2021年2月4日、6回目の保釈請求が認められるまでに332日間拘束されました。
保釈6か月後の2021年7月30日、事件は急展開をみせました。初公判の4日前のこの日、突然、検察官が公訴を取り消したのです。理由は、スプレードライヤ（噴霧乾燥機）について「法規制に該当することの立証が困難と判断された」とのことでした。つまり、犯罪ではなかった、ということです。結局、刑事公判は始まることなく突然に終了しました。
さらに、私たちが起こした国家賠償請求訴訟に対し、東京地方裁判所は昨年12月27日、警察の逮捕や取り調べ、そして検察の起訴が違法であったと認め、国と東京都に1億6千万円の賠償を命じました。裁判では、現役の警視庁公安部の捜査員が、捜査は「ねつ造」と証言しました。
私たちが11ヶ月間、身柄拘束されながら戦い続けることができたのは、自分は無実であるという強い自負と、必ず無罪判決をもらうことができるという確信があったからです。
無実を証明するために、大川原化工機の社員が懸命に実験を繰り返してくれました。
しかし、日本の裁判の有罪率は99％以上。たとえ無実であったとしても、無罪判決を勝ち取れるか不安なまま身柄拘束をされている方が、多いのではないでしょうか。保釈を得たい一心で、うそでも自白をしてしまう人もいるでしょう。
しかも、身柄を拘束され、接見禁止をされたままの裁判準備は困難を極めました。経産省に積極的協力し、法規制に該当する機械仕様を記載した証拠書類やそのメールを探し出す作業は、すべての書類を警察に押収されているなか困難を極めました。日本では、無実を訴える人々は、こうした不利な環境に身を置きながら裁判を戦うことを強いられます。冤罪をなくすためには、無実を訴えるすべての人が、捜査機関と対等に戦うことのできる環境が必要です。
最後に、人質司法は、取り返しのつかない悲劇も生むということを申し添えます。私たちと一緒に逮捕された同僚の相嶋静夫さんは、間違った起訴勾留により劣悪な環境に拘束され続け、勾留中に進行性の胃がんが発見されたにも拘わらず、適切な病気治療もなされず、2021年2月7日、他界しました。相嶋さんは勾留されてから8回保釈を求めましたが、最後まで認められませんでした。任意の取り調べの時に相嶋さんと交わした「潔白が証明されて終わったら1杯やろうね」という言葉が、最後の会話になってしまいました。
大川原化工機の冤罪事件は、日本ではたくさん報道されています。しかし今に至るまで、日本政府は何らの検証や再発防止策を打ち出していません。このままでは、えん罪と人質司法が続くでしょう。
是非、疑いがあるというだけで長期の身柄拘束を正当化し、家族とさえ接触を禁止し、精神的に追い詰めて自白をもとめる、今の人質司法という制度を、1日も早く是正し、二度とこのような冤罪事件が起きないようにして頂きたいと思います。そして、警察や検察官による取調べの際には、黙秘権を認めること、そして、弁護士の同席、録音録画が最低でも許されるべきと思います。
